The REAL Business Accelerator

The REAL Business Accelerator program will reach 100 aspiring entrepreneurs with each six-month training cycle. By the end of the program, each young entrepreneur will be able to effectively apply a core set of concrete skills that will allow them to run an effective business, as well as possess the ability and confidence to apply innovative, out-of-the-box ideas that will transform their businesses into unique and competitive entities.

While many private sector development organizations address poverty reduction and the lack of employment opportunity, the RBA program is unique in that it combines training and mentorship with a framework to access finance and simultaneously have the entrepreneur’s personal growth as the core focus. Additionally, the program takes a highly qualitative and practical approach and is centered about the reality of the individual, so the RBA is not a program with a strict curriculum, but one that acknowledges beforehand that each entrepreneur is unique and requires a custom program to maximize growth.

Finally, the RBA program is also designed around a model of training that we call the Accelerator Triangle. The Accelerator Triangle describes the belief that training, mentorship, and access to finance are all important, but are ineffective if delivered in isolation. As a result, we make a particularly strong effort to emphasize each component through an effective and complementary approach.

The program will include the following components:

100 aspiring entrepreneurs/six month program

Baseline evaluation:

4 hours – business diagnostic

8 hours – business canvas

Group sessions and evening classes:

8 hours – thematic seminar and networking session

4 hours – leadership

4 hours – communication

4 hours – finance

4 hours – business concepts

32 hours – for evening classes within the four program pillars, according to specific need

Individual hours:

18 hours – basic bookkeeping and financial management

12 hours – coaching

30 hours – one on one working sessions based on defined goals for the program